pay it forward

If the walls of the simplehuman office could talk, they would tell you that a common conversation between employees is the worry about kids getting sick.  With kids under five it seems there is always something going around – whether it’s swine flu, a stomach bug or just a really bad cold.

The most frustrating thing about the cold and flu season—is that you can never do as much as you’d like to keep kids from getting sick.  Even with all the medical advances we have today, the most common advice we hear from health experts is to sneeze into your elbow and wash your hands frequently.

That’s when we decided to donate some of our touch-free dispensers to our local community. If we can make hand washing a bit more fun for kids and help them stay healthy, why not? Plus our touch-free dispensers also help prevent the spread of germs that you get from touching dirty surfaces and handles.

Every simplehuman received three touch-free dispensers to give to their kids’ schools or community organization of choice.

I gave mine to Brockton Elementary School in West LA. Ms. Marquand, a teacher for students with autism, told me that she and the other teachers she worked with filled the pumps with hand sanitizer. She was extremely grateful for the dispensers—particularly because they helped teach the kids to frequently wash their hands. Needless to say, the teachers were also big fans themselves—those brave teachers are constantly in the crossfire of so many germs!

Nicholas Peralta, third grader at Canterbury Elementary in Pacoima, CA, said he was so excited to have one of the touch-free dispensers in his classroom and show it off to his teacher.

Wilma Louie, director for Chinatown/North Beach Mental Health Services in San Francisco, said the touch-free dispensers were immediately put to good use throughout the office.

Although our touch-free dispensers can’t guarantee you’ll stay healthy, using our pumps combined with washing your hands regularly is a big step in the right direction. Giving our touch-free dispensers to our schools, churches, and community centers is a great for us to help out the communities we cherish so much!